Smoke-consumer and fuel-economizer.



PATENTED MAY 3, 1904.

J. B. BARRETT & J. W. HIOKERSON. SMOKE CONSUMER AND FUEL EGONOMIZER.

APPLICATION FILED 13110.5. 1903.

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Ilnirn Sr'arns Patented May 3, 1904.

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JAMES B. BARRETT AND JOHN W. HICKERSON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNORS TO ALBERT R. FOSTERAND CHARLES J. BROl/VN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

FsWIOME-GONSUMER AND FUEL-EGONOWIIZER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,061, dated May 3, 1904.

Application filed December 5, 1903. Serial No, 183,946. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that we, JAMEs B. BARRETT and JOHN W. HICKERSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Smoke-Consumers and Fuel- Ificonomizeraof which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a smoke-consumer and fuel-economizer for furnaces; and it consists in the constructions, combinations, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

The objects of our invention are to provide a construction in which complete combustion of the fuel will be obtained by means of partial combustions thereof at separate predetermined points, whereby a long and substantially uniform flame will be produced which is especially adapted for steam -boiler furnaces and in which the extent or degree of combustion can be regulated entirely inclependently of the rate of combustion.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which similar reference-numerals indicate corresponding parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal sectional View illustrating one embodiment of our invention applied to the furnace of a stationary boiler. 3 Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail elevation, on a larger scale, illustrating one means for simultaneously regulating the air and steam supplies. Fig. 4 is a side elevation with parts broken away, showing our invention applied to a locomotive-boiler. Fig. 5 is a detail plan View of the fire-brick partition shown in Fig. 4:; and Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view, on a larger scale, taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

Referring especially to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, 1 indicates a return tubular boiler mounted in any usual setting. 2 indicates the fire-box provided with gratebars 3 and lire-doors A. The ash-pit 5 is provided with the usual doors 6 and is connected by a plurality of airconduits 7 with the space behind the bridge-wall 8. The ash-pit doors are cured to a common actuating-rod 13.

preferably constructed to fit closely in order to prevent leakage thcrearound into the ashpit, and the air-conduits 7 are shown arranged to discharge along the path of the products of combustion adjacent thereto. A steampipe 9, leading from any suitable portion of the boiler and provided with a valve 14:, conducts steam to a pipe 10, shown embedded in the bridge-wall and provided with a plurality of nozzles 11, each of which is preferably arranged axially in one of theair-conduits,near the discharge end thereof. The entrance end of each air-conduit is controlled by a damper or door 12, the several doors being shown so- An opcrating-bar 15 is shown connected by a link 16 to a crank-arm 17, secured to theactuating-rod 13 and provided with a slotted portion 18, to which is ad justably and detachably secured a crank 19, carried by the stem 20 of the valve 14L. The operating-bar is shown provided with a series of notches 21, which are adapted to engage a lug 252 for maintaining said bar in its several adjusted positions.

It will be clear from the above description that by adjusting the bar 15 the supply of air and steam to the conduits 7 will be simultaneously regulated and that the slotted portion 18 of the bar provides means for varying the relative proportions of the air and steam supplies. Further, by disconnecting the crank 19 from the operating-bar 15 the air-supply can be regulated independently of the steamsupply at any time, as when starting the furnace.

1n the operation of the invention the crank 19 is preferably disconnected from the operating-bar and the steam-supply cut-off. The fire is then started on the grate-bars in the usual manner and the regulating-doors l2 maintained closed until suflicient draft has been established to cause a suction from the ash-pit through the conduits 7. The doors 12 are then adjusted to permit passage through the conduits 7 of the required air for producing the most satisfactory results until steam is generated in the boiler. The crank 19 is then secured to the operating-bar 15 in such a manner as to give the desired relation between the steam and air supplies and the bar 15 adjusted to properly regulate the supply of air and steam to conduits 7.

It will be noted that no metal parts are subjected to the direct action of the hot products of combustion, but that the steam-nozzles 11 are maintained at a high temperature by the heat transmitted through the walls of the airconduits 7. By thus imparting. heat to the steam during its expansion all condensation incident to adiabatic expansion is prevented and the velocity of flow of the steam is materially increased, thereby providing a strong injector action with a minimum consumption of steam. Further, by thus previously superheating the steam it will be more readily decomposed into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen upon admixture with the hot products of combustion. The oxygen furnished by the air and steam discharged from the conduits? will unite with the products of incomplete combustion, such as carbonic oxid, and the hydrogen furnished by the decomposed steam will unite partly with the oxygen and partly with the products of incomplete combustion to produce water and hydrocarbons, which last will probably subsequently combine with oxygen, thus insuring complete combustion of the fuel.

By leading the air-conduits 7 from the ashpit a construction is provided by which the degree of combustion can be regulated wholly independently of the rate of combustion of the fuel. For example, by closing the ash-pit doors any small quantity of air which could leak into the ash-pit will be drawn up through the conduits 7 and will not have any tendency to pass out through the greater resistance offered by the bed of fuel on the grate-bars, thus permitting proper regulation of the air and steam supply for producing complete combustion without any acceleration in the rate of combustion of the fuel on the grate-bars. Again, by properly regulating the opening of the ash-pit doors relatively to the size of openings maintained at the entrance ends of the air-conduits 7 the injector action of the steamjets will draw a portion of the air through the conduits 7 and also simultaneously reduce the pressure in the fire-box below that in the ashpit, thus causing a portion of the air to flow from the ash-pit through the bed of fuel on the grate-bars, thereby providing means for definitely and certainly regulating the rate of combustion. This construction obviates the practical defects found in those existing types of smoke-consumers in which the steam-jets tend to produce an increase pressure in the fire-box and in those in which the air-conduits do not lead from the ash-pit, as in neither of these previous constructions can the degree of combustion be regulated independently of the rate of combustion of the fuel on the grate- 5 bars.

Figs. 4, 5, and 6 illustrate one means of applying our invention to a locomotive type of boiler. In this construction the fire-box 24 is provided with the usual grate-bars 25 and with an ash-pan 26, which latter is constructed to be tightly closed by a door 27. A firebrick partition 28 is shown supported on water-tubes 29 in position to provide a combustion-chamber 30. The air-conduit 31 leads from the ash-pan through the front water-leg 32 of the boiler, where it communicates with a branched passage 33, formed in the firebrick partition. A branched steam-pipe 34 passes through a portion of the air-conduit 31 and extends through the branched passage 33 in the fire-brick partition. As shown especially in Fig. 6, the steam-pipe is provided with an injector-nozzle at each discharge-orifice of the branched passage 33. The steampipe 34 communicates with a pipe 35, leading to the steam-space of the boiler, and with a pipe 36, leading to the exhaust of the locomotive, a three-way valve 37 being shown for controlling said communications. A valve 38 in the air-conduit 31 is shown connected by a link 39 with the handle of a valve 40 in the steam-pipe to provide means for simultaneously regulating the supplies of air and steam. The operation of this device is similar to that above described in reference to-a stationary boiler, with the exception that steam can be supplied through the pipe 35 when the locomotive is at rest and through the exhaust-pipe 36 when the locomotive is running, if desired. This construction overcomes the excessive waste of fuel due to the extinction of a material portion of the flaming gases immediately upon their entrance to the boiler-tubes and can be employed without increasing the rate of combustion of the fuel on the gratebars, such as occurs with the type of blower commonly employed on locomotives.

It is obvious that our invention is readily adaptable for advantageous application to sectional water-tube boilers or to boiler-furnaces employing a downdraft.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a furnace, the combination of air-conduits leading from the ash-pit and constructed to discharge at the rear of the bridge-wall, means constructed to regulate the entranceorilices of said conduits, means constructed to cause an injector discharge of fluid through said conduits, whereby air will be drawn from the ash-pit, means constructed to regulate such injector discharge, and a common means constructed to actuate said several regulating means and to permit adjustment of the relative amounts of air and injector fluid discharged through said conduits, substantially as described.

2. In a furnace. the combination of air-conduits having their axes lying in straight lines and constructed to discharge at the rear of the bridge-wall in the direction of flow of the products of combustion adjacent their discharge ends, whereby a fluid discharge from said conduits will tend to produce a reduction of pressure in both the ash-pit and firebox, means constructed to regulate the entranceorifices of said conduits, means constructed to cause a fluid discharge through said conduits, means constructed to regulate such fluid discharge and a common means constructed to actuate said several regulating means and to permit adjustment of the relative amounts of air and fluid discharge through said conduits, substantially as described.

3. In a furnace, the combination of air-conduits leading from the ash-pit and constructed to discharge at the rear of the bridge-wall in the direction of flow of the products of combustion adjacent their discharge ends, whereby afluid discharge from said conduits will tend to produce a reduction of pressure in both the ash-pit and lire-box, means constructed to regulate the entrance-orifices of said conduits, means constructed to cause a fluid discharge through said conduits, means constructed to regulate such fluid discharge, a common means constructed to actuate said several regulating means and to permit adjustment of the relative amounts of air and fluid discharged through said conduits, and means for regulating the quantity of air admitted to the ash-pit, whereby the portion of air discharged through the conduits will mingle with and cause an increased degree of combustion of the hot products of combustion, and the remaining air admitted to the ash-pit will be drawn through the bed of fuel on the grate-bars by the reduction of pressure in the fire-box, thereby producing an increased rate of combustion thereof, substantially as described.

4. In a furnace, the combination of air-conduits leading from the ash-pit and constructed to discharge at the rear of the bridge-wall, means constructed to regulate the entranceoriflces of said conduits, means constructed to cause an injector discharge of steam through said conduits, whereby air will be drawn from the ash-pit, means constructed to regulate such steam discharge, and a common means constructed to actuate said several regulating means and to permit adjustment of the relative amounts of air and steam discharged through said conduits, substantially as described.

5. In a furnace, the combination of air-eonduits leading from the ash-pit and constructed to discharge at the rear of the bridge-wall in the direction of flow of the products of combustion adjacent their discharge ends, whereby a fluid discharge from said conduits will tend to produce a reduction of pressure in both the ash-pit and fire -boX, means constructed to regulate the entrance-orifices of said conduits, means constructed to cause an injector discharge of steam to said conduits, whereby air will be drawn from the ash-pit, means constructed to regulate such steam discharge, and common means constructed to actuate said several regulating means and to permit adjustment of the relative amounts of air and steam discharged through said conduits, and means for regulating the quantity of air admitted to the ash-pit, whereby the portion of air discharged through the conduits will mingle with and cause an increased degree of combustion of the hot products of combustion, and the remaining air admitted to the ash-pit will be drawn through the bed of fuel on the grate-bars by the reduction of pres sure in the fire-box, thereby producing an increased rate of combustion thereof, substantially as described.

6. In a furnace, the combination of air-conduits leading from the ash-pit and constructed to discharge at the rear of the bridge-wall in the direction of flow of the products of combustion adjacent their discharge ends, whereby a fluid discharge from said conduits will tend to produce a reduction of pressure in both and the ash-pit and fire-box, steam-jets arranged in said conduits to produce an injector action tending to draw air from the ash-pit through said conduits, means constructed to adjust the steam-supply to said jets, means constructed to adjust the entrance-orifices of said conduits, a common means for actuating said adjusting means for the steam and air supplies, said actuating means constructed to permit adjustment of the relative proportions of the steam and air supplies, and means for regulating the quantity of air admitted to the ash-pit, whereby a portion of such admitted air together with the steam supplied by the injector-jets will be discharged through the conduits and mingled with the hot products of combustion to cause an increased degree of combustion thereof, and the remaining air admitted to the ash-pit will be drawn through the bed of fuel on the grate-bars by the reduction of pressure in the fire-box, thereby producing an increased rate of combustion thereof, substantially as described.

7. In a furnace, the combination of air-conduits leadingfrom the ash-pit and constructed to discharge at the rear of the bridge-wall, regulating means positioned adjacent the entrance-orifice of each conduit, a rod support ing said several regulating means, a crank secured to said rod, an operating-bar connected to said crank for actuating said regulating means, a steam-jet arranged in each of said air-conduits, a valve constructed to regulate the supply of steam to said jets, and adjustable means connecting said valve and operating-bar, whereby the supply of air and steam can be simultaneously regulated and the relative proportions thereof adjusted, substantially as described.

8. In a furnace, the combination of air-conduits leading from the ash-pit and constructed to discharge at the rear of the bridge-Wall, regulating means positioned adjacent the entrance-orifice of each conduit, a rod supporting said several regulating means, a crank secured to said rod, an operating-bar provided With a slotted portion and connected to said crank for actuating said regulating means, a steam-jet arranged in each of said air-conduits, a valve constructed to regulate the supply of steam to said jets, a crank secured to said valve and constructed to be adjustably secured along the slotted portion of said operatingbar, whereby the supply of air and steam can be simultaneously regulated and the relative 5 proportions thereof adjusted, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JAMES B. BARRETT. JOHN WV. HIGKERSON.

Vitnesses:

HARRY WV. CHEW, JOSEPH R. HUNT. 

